Estonia has signed a contract to purchase six HIMARS launch rocket systems from the US for $200 million, the Estonian Defense Investment Center (ECDI) announced on Saturday.
ECDI’s executive director, Magnus-Valdemar Saar, reached an agreement on Friday with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), an agency of the US Department of Defense, to enhance the “capability of indirect fire” (i.e., on targets not visible to the battery operator) by Estonian forces, according to a statement.
Most important arms purchase for Estonia
This type of rocket launcher was offered by the United States to Ukraine, effectively bolstering its firing capability in the face of the Russian invasion launched on February 24. Since then, Russia’s neighbor Estonia has increased its defense spending, as have its Baltic neighbors Lithuania and Latvia, as well as Poland.
The contract is for six HIMARS systems, ECDI communications manager Hanna Heinnurm said. This is the largest arms purchase in Estonia. The rockets ordered by Tallinn are of various types, their range ranges from 70 to 300 km. They will be delivered from 2024. In November, Lithuania announced its intention to purchase eight HIMARS for $495 million.
Source: BFM TV
